September 8, 2009

Green Tomatoes

This morning I picked a few pounds of green tomatoes, cut them up and layered them with sugar in preparation for making green tomato jam. They'll sit in the refrigerator for a day, then I'll cook them till thick with some sliced lemon. It's a jam that is similar in flavor to marmalade: a nice balance of sweet and tangy.

Cooking with green tomatoes is a September ritual; I wouldn't want to pick any fruits that might ripen before frost and this time of year it's a good bet that green will not become red. I love fried green tomatoes: they have a spicy flavor with a pleasant bite. I slice the tomatoes about 1/4 inch thick, dredge them in flour, then beaten egg, then corn meal that's been flavored with salt and pepper and perhaps some dried oregano. Then I shallow fry them slowly (so they'll soften inside) till browned. They're a delicious late summer treat.

About this Blog

When I wake up each morning, I look eastward towards the White Mountains, a grand view that continues to surprise this ex-New Yorker.The land, and the flora and fauna around me provide photographic inspiration, as do my gardens, which feed the body as well as the spirit. The subject matter of my paintings––agricultural implements––is very tied to this rural area; my paintings and drawings are all produced using egg tempera, an ancient medium. The textiles I make can also be seen as relating, in their hooking technique, to a small town craft. My prints use ordinary materials, even garden produce: potatoes.

But the paintings, drawings, and prints are strongly tied to modernism, in their form and color. They owe a great debt to abstraction of the 20th century, and I continue to find sustenance in the museums and galleries of New York City. Books and film also inspire thoughts that I wish to share. With this blog I hope to weave together all these various strands of my artistic life.

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I'm a native New Yorker––from the Flatbush area of Brooklyn––and now paint, make textiles and prints, and garden on an old hill farm in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. My works are in many public and private collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Tate Gallery, London.